Fire & Ice
by TehRealest
Summary: A story that takes place a year after Anna and Elsa thawed the eternal winter in Arrendale. They receive a mysterious letter from a far off kingdom with a fiery past.
1. 1 The Letter

~1~ The Letter

Life in Arrendale has been smooth sailing for the royal sisters ever since their reunion about a year ago. Elsa has stepped up to fulfill her royal duties as Queen, and Anna has been at her side for anything her older sister may need. The year that they've had together so far has certainly made up for lost time; the two sisters have grown closer than ever before. Kristoff and Sven stay in the palace now, and has almost become part of the family much to Princess Anna's delight. And for the most part, Olaf has stayed, well, just like Olaf.

Arrendale is thriving under its new leadership. Ever since dumping Weaseltown as it's trade partner, Queen Elsa has doubled the yearly profits of local businesses. People adore their new Queen, and the Queen has finally maintained in control of her powers.

During busy days like this, Elsa finds herself working in her father's study, and Anna huddled in the corner reading a book to herself.

"Your majesty," one of the servants say as they enter the study, "The daily post has arrived for you and the princess."

"Oh thank you," replied Elsa, briefly glancing up from some rather important documents. "Anything good?"

"Well actually my lady, there is this rather mysterious letter which appears to be from the Kingdom of Requiem," said the servant. Anna shot up from her book. "Requiem?" Anna asked, "Isn't that the place with all the volcano-ey goo?"

"You mean lava, snowbutton?" Elsa playfully replied.

"Oh yeah, lava..." Anna as she slumps back down to her book clearly embarrassed.

"Yes my lady you are correct. Requiem is south of Arrendale with a history of violent volcanic eruptions," declares the servant. "Well I'll leave the mail here for you to parooze through," and with that the servant exits the study.

"Well," says Anna, "aren't you gonna open your letter from Requiem?"

"Yes in a minute Anna," says Elsa somewhat annoyed at her sister's impatience.

"If you're not gonna open it now, then I will!" exclaims Anna as she leaps up and makes a grab for the letter.

"Oh no you're not!" yells Elsa as she stands up and blasts the ground in front of Anna with ice, causing her to slip. Elsa beats her sister to the letter and playfully admonishes her sister.

"There, are you happy? The floor is covered in ice and I lost my train of thought," Elsa teases at her sister who is laying on the floor recovering from the sudden fall.

"Yes I am actually. Now open it, open it!" Anna proclaims rubbing her head.

Elsa runs the thick yellowed paper between her fingers before actually opening the letter. It was addressed to her and Anna. The envelope contained a letter written in barely legible cursive:

Dear Queen Elsa and Princess Anna,

I am writing to you in a time of great distress for my kingdom. My nephew the prince has run off in some fit of rage, injuring many people in the process. The citizens are frightened, and our supplies are running low because the volcano has erupted leaving us stranded except for a few small vessels. Please send any kind of aid you can, but please do not come here, my nephew is a dangerous fire wielded.

Best Regards,

King Potifar

"Fire wielded?" asked Anna with her head tilted to one side. She was standing now reading the letter over Elsa's shoulder. "What do you think that could mean?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't sound like something I want to be a part of." Elsa replied. "I'll see if we have a spare ship and some extra grain that we can send their way."

"I think we should go," says Anna suddenly. "I mean what if this guy's got some kind of magic that's like yours?" Anna said.

"Anna listen to yourself. You've been reading too many fairy tails..." Elsa's voice trailed off. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Could there really be another person somewhat like her? "And besides, he specifically told us not to go ourselves." she rationalized.

"Hmmmm..." said Anna. "Yeah maybe you're right... I'll see what Kristoff thinks," Anna said.

"Okay you two have fun. I'll meet up with you for dinner." Elsa replied returning to her work.

"Okay see you later!" And with that Anna went off to search for Kristoff.


	2. 2 Kristoff's Thoughts

~2~ Kristoff's Thoughts

Kristoff has thoroughly enjoyed his new position as "Official Ice Master and Deliverer." He has access to the royal stable, and a plethora of new clients willing to do business. Anna has invited him to live in the palace with her and her sister, but he spends most of his down time in the stable with Sven. He was lounging in the hay next to his beloved Reindeer when Anna came in.

"Helloooo!" Anna announced in her usual sing-songy voice. "Watcha doing?"

"Oh much of the same as usual," Kristoff replied. "What can I do for you my beautiful princess?" Kristoff and Anna have grown much closer since meeting each other a year ago. And to Anna's delight, Elsa seems to approve of Kristoff more than Hans.

"Well actually I need to ask you something," Anna replied. She sat next to Kristoff in the hay. "Elsa and I got this letter today from some kingdom called Requiem. They're asking for help because a volcano erupted and their supplies are running low."

"Well what does Elsa want to do about that?" Kristoff said, now moving on to tuning his guitar, seeming somewhat disinterested.

"She just wants to send help, but I think we should go and check it out..." she glanced up at Kristoff expecting an answer.

"What's there to check out?" Kristoff said noncommittally. "If the volcano has erupted and people are stranded there, that's not where we should be."

"Yeah," Anna concedes, "but in the King's letter, he mentions that his nephew is a fire wielder whatever that is..."

At this Kristoff sat upright. "Did you say a fire wielder?"

"Yeah," Anna replied, clearly satisfied at the reaction she got.

"Do you think this could be something like your sister?"

"That's exactly what I thought!" exclaimed Anna.

Kristoff was standing up now. "I want to go talk to grand poppy about this. I'll meet you and Elsa later for dinner."

"Okay," Anna replies, "I guess I'll see you later then!" And with that Kristoff jumps on Sven's back and rides away.


	3. 3 Peculiar Picture

~3~ Peculiar Picture

As soon as Anna left the room to look for Kristoff, Elsa immediately began shuffling through her father's books for anything about Requiem or King Potifar. She didn't let Anna see how much that letter struck her. 'What if there really is someone out there like me?' Elsa wondered to herself.

After about an hour sorting through old books, almost giving up hope, and being bathed in dust, Elsa finally came across a very old book that was entitled "Requiem's Tale." 'Bingo!' she thought to herself.

She returned to the desk and began leafing through the old yellowed pages of the book. It appeared to be some sort of history account of the kingdom. 'Why would a history of Requiem be in Arrendale?' she wondered.

Elsa turned her head to sneeze into her elbow at one point, and noticed a picture on the floor. 'That must've fallen out of the book,' she observed. She bent over to pick it up, but noticed a caption on the back. It said, "From left to right, the royal family of Requiem. King Jourg, Queen Helena, Prince Prometheus, and The King's brother Duke Potifar."

'Duke Potifar!' Elsa thought to herself, 'But the letter said King Potifar!' She took another look at the picture. King/Duke Potifar was a tall, lean figure with long shiny black hair. He was wearing deep red robes that tied around his neck. Underneath his robes were what appeared to be metal armor and an emblem of a moon over an erupting volcano. 'That must be Requiem's insignia...' Elsa observed.

She then changed her focus to Prince Prometheus. 'He must be who King/Duke Potifar mentioned in the letter,' Elsa concluded. He didn't look at all dangerous. He appeared to be about the age of 10. He had short, well kept brown hair that framed his rather fairer completion. The prince had an honest yet somewhat cute smile that one would expect a 10 year-old boy to wear. The one thing that struck Elsa as odd were his eyes. They were very different looking from his parents or even his uncle. She couldn't gauge a color however because the picture was grayscale.

"My lady," said a servant who had apparently entered the study without Elsa knowing. "Dinner will be served momentarily."

Elsa didn't acknowledge the servant with anything more than a wave of her hand. She couldn't take her eyes off of this Prince. The servant took this as his cue to leave the room.


	4. 4 Dinnertime Discussions

~4~ Dinnertime Discussions

True to her word, Anna returned to the dining hall right as dinner began. Her sister came in a few moments later, and was covered in what appeared to be dust.

"What did you get yourself into while I was gone?" Anna asked at her sister.

"Nothing," Elsa said a bit too quickly. She didn't want Anna to think that she really cared about this issue with Requiem.

"Well anyway..." Anna said between mouthfuls of food, "I was talking to Kristoff about that letter we got. He thought that was interesting... You know, the bit about the fire-wielded?"

"Did he now?" Elsa replied, trying to come across as noncommittal, which was to no avail because she shuffled in her seat and was moving food in circles around her plate. "Will be be joining us for dinner?"

"Yeah he wanted to talk to grand poppy troll quickly though..." Anna said. "Something got your snowman?" Anna asked somewhat playfully. She observed that Elsa was playing with her braid and avoiding eye contact.

"No, why?" Elsa said, again a but too quickly.

"Elsie, you're not eating, covered in dust, and dodging my questions! What is up with you?"

"Alright fine I'll tell you," Elsa slumped in her chair and crossed her arms. She hated how well her sister could read her. "I looked all through dad's study for anything on Requiem." Elsa said as Anna was smiling to herself. "I eventually found an old book covered in dust that had a picture inside of a royal family of Requiem. It showed the King, Queen, Prince, and Duke-who-is-the-king's-brother-but-now-is-the-King." By now Anna was looking across the table at Elsa with her best I-told-you-so look.

"And what were they like?" Anna asked.

"Well there's no way the picture is recent, because there was as much dust on the book as there was snow in Arrendale when I set off the eternal winter," Elsa replied. "But anyway the King/Duke had an ominous look about him, and the Prince was around the age of 10."

"Maybe the Prince is around our age now!" Anna said excitedly.

"Look," Elsa said, "even if this Prince is our age, or even if this King/Duke is really who he says he is, that doesn't change the fact that it's dangerous for us to go there!" Elsa yelled.

"Yeesh Elsa no need to get your snow all yellow..." Anna said to instigate her sister.

Kristoff didn't return from his excursion until dessert. Anna and Elsa saved him a piece of chocolate cake, which was very difficult because they were salivating just looking at it.

Anna was just about to make a grab for Kristoff's piece when the door opened and he walked in.

"Sorry I'm late..." Kristoff admits, "Grandpoppy was talking a lot and the little ones wanted me to give Anna this." He reached in his pocket and pulls out a small crystal that is cool to the touch.

"Wow!" Anna says, her eyes fixed on the crystal. "What is it?"

"Well," Kristoff begins now seated with a mouthful of cake much to Elsa's disgust. "They told me it's an Ice Crystal and that it will always stay cold."

"What did Grandpoppy say?" Elsa said somewhat snippy. She was irritated that her beloved cake was being eaten in such a barbaric way, and now she had to wait for her answer far longer than she wanted to.

"Um, well he told me that he actually has been to Requiem," Kristoff said. At this both Anna and Elsa sat upright. Noticing this Kristoff continued, "yeah and that it is a small group of islands with a lot of volcanoes. They are always erupting and the sky is dark from the ash all the time."

"Did he say anything about the royal family or the fire-wielder?" Anna asked expectantly.

"Yeah he talked the most about that." He turned to Elsa now, who was on the edge of her seat. "He said that you'd be in the most danger if you went there."

"Me? In danger? How so?" Elsa retorted, shocked by this revelation.

"Well," Kristoff continued now finished with his cake. Anna moved on to picking crumbs off of his plate. "Grand poppy made it very clear that Ice and Fire are opposites. And he said if you were to get hit by his magic or burned by his...um... volcanoey goo (at this Anna raised her hands in the air as if to say 'I told you so') that you could die instantly."

Elsa sat back in her chair in shock. This shift was surprising and ironic to her because all of her life she had tried to shelter people away from being hurt by her magic, and now it was her who was being sheltered from someone else's magic.

"Well thank you for going to talk to grand poppy," Elsa said very cordially. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going off to bed." Elsa left the room, leaving Anna and Kristoff to talk about the Ice Crystal.


	5. 5 Bedtime Decisions

~5~ Bedtime Decisions

Elsa woke with a start and sat bolt upright. She was drenched in cold sweat, and noticed she had kicked the covers off of her bed. She gazed over at her clock. It was 3 in the morning.

Elsa tried to recline back in her bed, but to no avail she then decided to sneak down to the study and have another look at that history of Requiem. When she got there, to her surprise Anna had beaten her to the book. Anna looked over at Elsa with a thin simile. Elsa noticed that her sister had dark circles under her eyes and was still wearing the dress she wore at dinner.

"So this is the picture you were talking about?" Anna began, holding the picture up for Elsa to see.

"Yeah," Elsa said rubbing her eyes. "Have you found anything else interesting?"

"Well actually yes. I started reading the book a little bit, and it talks about the palace. Its apparently made of metal so the volcanic eruptions don't burn it down," Anna said.

"Oh," Elsa returned somewhat disappointed. She took a seat next to her sister. "Anything about a fire-wielder?"

"No, I've been looking for hours and found nothing," Anna said tossing the book on the table.

They both sat in silence for a minute. Finally Elsa broke the peace.

"I think you're right; we should go to Requiem," Elsa admitted.

Anna looked over at her sister with a smile spreading across her face. "Oh I knew you'd come around!"

"I hope we are making the right decision, though." Elsa replied.


	6. 6 Journey to the Fire Kingdom

~6~ Voyage to the Fire Kingdom

The next morning Elsa made arrangements with her staff to load a cargo ship with food and supplies to take to Requiem. The staff members were surprised that the Queen was taking a sudden vacation, but not at all surprised that her sister or the Ice Master were going with her. The three of them had become family in the short period of time that they've known each other.

Elsa was putting the finishing touched on packing her things when there was a knock at the door. It was Anna.

"Are you bringing the book with you?" She asked.

"Yes," Elsa replied. "It will probably be very useful once we are there. Are you and Kristoff ready to go?"

"Yeah I think so," Anna said. She sat down on Elsa's bed and laid back. "We'll be fine there, right?" She didn't sound too sure of herself.

"Of course," Elsa replied in a typical big sister kind of way. "I'll freeze any 'volcanoey goo' that that could be a problem."

"Okay," said Anna with a reassured smile on her face as she stood up. "Let's go. The servants told me that it's a 2 day trip by boat."

"Oh joy..." Elsa replied. She hated the idea of sailing ever since her parents died out at sea. But Elsa didn't let on about her fear to Anna who already seemed rattled.

Kristoff was already waiting for them on the boat when the sisters arrived at the dock. The sad expression on his face told them that he had to leave Sven behind. Anna immediately picked up on this and took Kristoff aside to sit together and distract him. This gave Elsa a good opportunity to read more about Requiem.

Elsa had already read a third of the book, and what she learned was not interesting nor helpful in the least. It talked a lot about procedures, customs, and lists of rulers dating back hundreds of years. The bit about the castle being made of metal was neat though. The town below the castle was also surrounded by a 30 foot metal wall to keep the lava from flooding the citizens. Before she even realized it, she was gazing at the picture of the royal family again, specifically at the Prince. 'What made him so special?' Elsa wondered to herself.

She felt a lurch belowdecks and looked up. They were already sailing through the gates in the bay out to sea. Elsa gulped and hoped nothing bad was going to happen on this trip.

The rest of the day went by fairly smooth. Kristoff got sick twice but managed to get the majority of the mess overboard. Anna actually fell asleep for a few hours before dinner, and Elsa retired to her room to read about Requiem. She made it halfway through the book before taking a break to join Anna and Kristoff for dinner.

The meal began with an awkward silence in the room. Probably because you could smell some of what Kristoff had postmarked for the ocean.

"What do you guys think of travel by sea so far?" Elsa said to break the silence in the room.

"I don't particularly care for it," replied Kristoff first, who hadn't touched anything on his plate.

"Well it's not as bad as I thought really," said Anna cheerfully. "I mean if you can get past the constant rocking back and forth and back and forth." At this Kristoff promptly stood up and made his way above decks to vomit.

"Well I agree with Kristoff. I'll sleep a lot better on dry land once we get to Requiem." Elsa added.

After dinner, everyone made their way belowdecks to go to bed. Elsa stayed up late reading more about Requiem, but too eventually dozed off.


	7. 7 Short Shorts

~7~ Short Shorts

"Elsa wake up, I gotta show you something!" Anna whispered.

Elsa opened her eyes slowly. Anna was standing over her with a giddy grin growing across her face.

The next thing that Elsa noticed was the heat. The extreme heat.

"Why is it so hot?" Elsa asked, clearly irritated this early in the morning.

"The crew told me as we get closer to Requiem its gonna get hotter. This isn't even the worst yet..." Anna's voice trailed off. "Um," she began, stepping away from Elsa's bed, "your dress... its kinda... well... melting."

Elsa immediately shot up and jumped out of bed. It was true. Her dress looked damp and was dripping water all over the floor. Elsa was happy that that watery mess wasn't on her body, and distraught that her beloved dress was evaporating.

"Now what am I going to wear?" Elsa asked now pacing back and forth in her room. Anna stayed clear out of her sister's way.

"Well, the staff back at home must've known about this and packed us this." Anna revealed her hands from behind her back. She was holding a small shirt with a collar and Arrendale's national crest on it, and what looked to be a pair of pants with short legs.

"What is this?" Elsa asked, still unable to think about much else beside her melting dress.

"Its a shirt and what the staff and crew call 'shorts,'" Anna explained. They're these nifty inventions that provide the protection of pants while revealing your legs to keep cool. Kristoff already has his gear on. I was going to change into mine once I woke you up."

"Okay thanks," Elsa said halfheartedly. She was still transfixed on her melting dress.

"Okay well I'll see you at breakfast then," Anna declared. She turned and left the room singing to herself.

Once Elsa accepted that her dress was slowly turning to water and no amount of magic was going to fix it, she turned to the outfit Anna had left her. 'Oh my!' She thought to herself. This sort of attire was much different from what she was used to wearing. She decided to put it on anyway, because her other option was leaking through the floorboards.

It had been a while since Elsa had worn clothes with fabric, and the stitched cotton against her skin was much different than what she was used to. Once dressed, she went into the bathroom to examine herself in the mirror. She immediately became very self conscious. She noticed her fair skin and how much of her legs were being revealed in these so-called 'shorts.' After convincing herself that she probably didn't look that bad, she went to search for Anna and Kristoff.

Elsa found her sister and Kristoff on the deck of the boat, sitting at a small table eating breakfast. They, true to Anna's word, were wearing a similar getup that Elsa was. Anna smiles and waved her over to the table.

Elsa walked over cautiously, noticing every flaw in her stride, posture, and braid which she has suddenly become fascinated with fixing and pulling. Anna became aware of this as her sister got closer to the table.

"Elsa you look beautiful," Anna began. "Even more so than usual."

"Thanks..." Elsa said. 'Even my voice sounds whiny!' she thought to herself. There was a long pause as she sat down and examined her breakfast, not wanting to eat.

"The crew said we are making good time and should be in Requiem shortly after noon," Kristoff said to change the subject.

"I see," Elsa replied. It was true, she began to notice some ash and dark clouds close in overhead.

Breakfast continued in that rather awkward manner until Elsa got up from the table and went to sit up in the crow's nest. She brought with her the book about Requiem and the picture to study more.

The closer they got to Requiem the more Elsa wondered about the Prince. She had finally finished reading the book cover-to-cover when she noticed the sky had gotten significantly darker and there was loads more ash flying through the air. This was unnerving to Elsa because the only thing that flew like that back in Arrendale was snow, but she could control that. Not only was she removed from the protection of her beloved ice dress, but she was not in control of the weather anymore. This was not going to be a good visit.


	8. 8 Requiem

~8~ Requiem

By now the sky was very dark, and the crew had lit some lanterns so they could see. Anna and Kristoff had since decided to go belowdecks to play cards. Anna noticed that Elsa was deep in thought whenever she ran into her on the ship, but didn't ask her why. 'She must really be worried about this visit,' Anna thought to herself.

Finally one of the crew members called out from above, "Land Ho! About 20 minutes!" Anna and Kristoff took that as their cue to go back up top and check out the scenery. The sky was completely black and the air was thick with ash. All around it smelled like smoke and fire. Far off in the distance Anna could just barely make out a glowing red light, which must be the volcano. This was so exciting!

Anna turned around and saw her sister making her way up the stairs. Something hit Anna as odd the minute she laced eyes on her sister. Yes, it was very hot outside, but Elsa's body temperature typically ran cooler than everyone else's. It was normal for Anna and Kristoff to sweat in the heat, but it was so hot that even Elsa was sweating. Anna could tell her sister didn't like this very much.

"So we will be there soon?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah you can see it from here." Anna pointed off towards the small light.

"Oh wow the volcano is active!" Elsa said in awe.

"A little different from the North Mountain, eh?" Kristoff asked.

Anna and Elsa turned to each other and laughed. Either out of anticipation, or giddiness, or fear that they couldn't process right because of the temperature.

The small light in the distance quickly became closer and larger, and they could make out the spires of the palace. The book's description could not do such a scene justice. The spires were long, thin metal rods with flags hanging off of the ends. Below that, they could see a pyramidal-shaped structure that must be the palace complex itself. As they got ever closer, Anna could just make out a small village behind the palace that was surrounded by tall, dark walls. At first glance, it looked like a prison...

Finally after two long days of traveling, the boat gently bumped into the dock, and the crew worked on thing the vessel down. Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff made their way down the plank onto the island. Anna kept looking all around, as if trying to take in the scenery all at once. There wasn't much vegetation in Requiem, probably because it just got burned down all the time. The road itself was scorched cobblestones with metal street lamps every few feet to illuminate the darkened paths.

Anna turned to her sister, who apparently was also taking in the sights. "Well Elsa, what do you think?"

"It's warmer than I thought..." Elsa replied. "And darker."

"Yes that is what most guests tend to say," said a rather chilling voice in the distance. The three of them turned in the direction it was coming from and eventually laid eyes on its owner. The figure was tall and slender, with slick white hair pulled tightly into a ponytail and running down his back like a waterfall of silver. His face was wrinkled in a permanent scowl, which matched his bitter voice.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he continued. "My name is King Potifar, ruler of Requiem. You three must be from Arrendale, seeing by the crest on your shirts."

"Uh... Yes my lord," Elsa piped up. "I... I am Queen Elsa of Arrendale. This is my sister Anna (as she gestured towards her sister), and a close family friend Kristoff (as she gestured similarly towards Kristoff)."

"Well it is very nice to finally meet you my lady," King Potifar said, reaching for Elsa's hand and kissing it. "Welcome to Requiem. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing food and supplies for my citizens."

Anna looked around as the King continued the introduction. She noticed that not one person was walking around. There was activity in the windows, but the curtains were drawn and there was a dim light coming from each window. 'Odd,' Anna thought to herself.

"Well if we could all make the journey back up to the palace," King Potifar began, "you could get a chance to clean up before dinner." With that he swiftly turned away and took the lead up the hill towards the castle. But it didn't appear that he was walking. He was almost slithering over the cobblestones.

He guided the group up the hill until they were right outside the palace walls. There was no courtyard like their palace had in Arrendale, but rather steel walls and high windows that gave the impression of being in a fortress.

"Just down that hallway is where we have put you up," said King Potifar as he gestured down a long, dark corridor. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to let my staff know. Dinner will be served soon." And with that he turned sharply and slithered up the main staircase.

The three of then walked down the hallway, and Elsa let out a sign of relief.

"What's that about?" Anna asked, slightly amused.

"Well," Elsa began. "That book about this place talked about a tradition when meeting a member of the royal family that you are supposed to bow and kiss their feet."

"Yeah..." asked Anna expectantly.

"Well as I saw him walk up to us his robes got caught in the stones and I saw one of his feet. They were scaled like a fish..."


	9. Informative Meal

~9~ Informative Meal

The long corridor led the group to small, private living room with a bathroom and 4 bedrooms adjacent to it. It was furnished with red couches, and dark wood bookshelves lined with scrolls and ancient looking books. The ceiling was tall, with a lone candle hanging from the peak. The room was being illuminated by two roaring fires that were lit in fireplaces on opposite sides of the rooms. Kristoff and Anna both crashed down on a couch next to each other, while Elsa took the liberty to explore the bedrooms.

The bedrooms themselves were decorated much the same as the living room. They too were being lit with a roaring fire in the fireplace. A bed with thick, deep red linen was on the opposite wall. Hanging off of the bedposts were four, small, flickering lanterns. Two night stands stood guard on opposite sides of the bed, and they supported a pile of scrolls and books respectively. Elsa finished her sweep and also crashed on a couch.

"This place is really depressing," Anna observed, looking to spark some sort of conversation.

"I can't believe we came here," Elsa said, now having laid back in the couch trying to cool off. "And what is it with this place and fires? No wonder they're running out of supplies, everything here just burns!"

"Times like this I wish we were in another eternal winter." Kristoff said, which caused Anna to playfully hit his bicep.

"So are we going down to dinner..?" Anna asked gauging the room.

"I'd like to," Elsa began. "I want to see what the King has to say about his nephew."

The three of them changed, washed up, and walked back down the seemingly endless corridor to the entrance hall. They were guided by two burly-looking servants into the dining hall. King Potifar was already seated, and apparently waiting for them.

"I trust that you found your rooms to be satisfactory?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you for having us." Elsa said as she took her seat. "The volcano is very... majestic. We are so used to looking at snow-capped mountains; so this is a nice change."

"Well I thank you my darling." Potifar said with a slimy grin spreading across his face. "Tonight's meal will be something I'm sure you'll find different than what you're used to. We're having FireBall Roast."

As Potifar finished his last sentence, more servants turned into the room carrying dishes in steel serving vessels. They sat the dishes down in front of their respective owner, and removed the lid. Immediately Elsa's nostrils burned as the spices filled the air. She had experienced spicy meals at home, but simple peppers had nothing on this fiery mystery meat.

"I have some questions for you if you don't mind, your majesty," Elsa began.

"And I'm sure I have some answers for you, my lady." Potifar replied between bites of whatever-was-served-and-spiced-beyond-comprehension.

"In your letter," Elsa began, "you mentioned your nephew. You called him a fire wielder?"

"Well I sent a lot of those letters to a lot of different kingdoms. I didn't want anybody coming who couldn't handle the danger." Potifar replied smoothly.

"What sort of danger?" Elsa asked innocently.

"I have come to understand that you have the ability to control ice and snow, yes?" Potifar asked, now totally ignoring his meal.

"Well... yes," Elsa replied, not knowing where this conversation was going.

"My nephew has similar abilities except over lava and fire." Potifar began. "He was born with the ability much like you were. As time went on, his power grew and soon he was unable to conceal it from the kingdom. Not that he didn't try though, he would spend hours down at the coast or in the swimming pool trying to keep cool. But eventually his body temperature overwhelmed the pools and they all started boiling not after long."

"Did you know about his ability?" Elsa continued.

"Yes I did." Potifar added. "My brother was the previous king by the way. I ascended to the throne because they died out at sea and Prometheus was too young to become King himself."

At this Anna and Elsa sat upright. "I'm sorry my lord," Anna began. "But did you say that they died out at sea?"

"I'm surprised you were never told..." Potifar said looking taken aback. "Your parents and my brother and sister-in-law were in contact for years discussing your sister's and my nephew's abilities."

"Excuse me," Elsa butted in. "But why were they in contact?"

"Well," Potifar began. "They were trying to set up some sort of meeting for you and my nephew so you could work out your powers together."

Elsa was shocked. Her parents died trying to communicate with these people! Her parents recognized someone with similar abilities and tried to reach out to them! But how strange it was that both sets of parents should die making the same voyage...

"So then," Kristoff piped up, "what was the last part of your letter about where you said your nephew left 'in a fit of rage'?"

"My nephew and I did not see eye to eye on a number of issues." Potifar replied, a little stunned that Kristoff spoke for the first time. "One of which was his coronation."

"Yeah that is what I was wondering about," Anna said as she picked at her dinner, not making eye contact. "How old is your nephew?"

"Actually," Potifar replied, "I understand he and your sister share a birthday. She was born at midnight, and he at noon."

Elsa was just recovering from the fact that her parents knew these people and now that she shared a birthday with someone like her!

"Then shouldn't he be King right now?" Anna asked innocently. "I mean he has the birthright..."

At this, Potifar tightened his jaw and fists. "That snot-nosed punk will never rule Requiem as long as I live! Dinner is over, I will see you tomorrow." And with that he flew out of his chair and stalked out of the room.


End file.
